CF Cover Letters and Resumes

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management consulting cover letters and resumes

Prepare for a Consulting Career
MANAGEMENT
CONSULTING
Cover Letters
and Resumes
Six Steps to a Successful Application
Management Consulting Cover Letters and Resumes

- Six Steps to a Successful Application
1st edition
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contents
STEP 1:
Identify Your
Relevant Skills
Introduction
01
07
ERIC WILLIAMS
Contact Information / Header
STEP 2:
Structure
Your Resume
Resume
Summary
Professional Experience
Education
10
Skills
Personal Interests
527 Broadway Street Chicago Illinois 60803 Phone: (555) 123-0821 E-mail: ewilliams@email.net
RESUME
SUMMARY:
General management experience from a Fortune 500 shipping company

Academically well founded with an MBA from a top 20 business school
and a degree in mechanical engineering
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
08/2009
General Manager, Anders Shipping, Tunis, Tunisia

Responsible for Anders Shippings North African operations covering annual
revenue 20 million USD and a work force of 65 FTEs
Expanded the business into Morocco, which currently contributes with annual
revenue of 5 USD million
07/2004 07/2007
Sourcing Manager, Anders Shipping, New York, NY

Headed a sourcing department with 4 FTEs
Optimized the procurement of several categories resulting in annual savings of
10 million USD
07/2003-08/2003
Summer Analyst, Qualitative Investment Bank, New York, NY

Analyzed high yield bonds and structured products at a leading investment
bank
STEP 3:
Write Your
Resume
16
EDUCATION:
09/2007 06/2009
Master of Business Administration, Columford University, New York, NY

Concentration: Strategic Management
GPA: 3.6 (top 20%)
09/2001 - 06/2004
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Eng., Berkvard College, Boston, MA

Electives: Business Statistics, Econometrics
GPA: 3.9 (top 5%)
08/1997-06/2001
High School Diploma, City High School, Boston, MA

GPA: 3.9 (Salutatorian)
SKILLS:
Language: Fluent in Spanish
Computer Skills (Expert): Excel (incl.VBA programming), PowerPoint, Word.
PERSONAL INTERESTS:
Full address
of the firm
Title
Date
Opening
Experience and Education
Motivation
Personal Skills
Closing
STEP 4:
Structure
Your Cover
Letter
20
Signature
Cars , politics, squash, diving and skiing

ERIC WILLIAMS
March 1, 2010
Cain & Company, Inc.
1534 South Street, Suite 2100
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Application for Consultant position at Cain & Company
My career plans and conversations with Sr. Associate Consultant Christian Andersen and Case Team
Leader Peter Jackson about the firm and culture convinced me to pursue a career at Cain & Company. My
educational background in the field of engineering (BSc) and business administration (MBA), along with
my professional experience in a leading shipping company, makes me an excellent candidate for a
position as Consultant.
I have a varied background which will serve me well as I work with a variety of people in the
management consulting field. I currently work for Anders Shipping as General Manager with
responsibility for the companys North African operations. It is a position that afforded me the
opportunity to travel widely and develop effective analytical skills and the ability to work with a variety
of people. My educational foundation is an MBA from Columford, with a concentration in strategic
management. I also have an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. Between my undergraduate
and MBA programs, I worked as a Sourcing Manager with Anders Shipping. In my position there, I
served in a leadership capacity, with ten staff in my department. This leadership opportunity has been
invaluable in my continued professional development.
There are several characteristics that your firm demonstrates which motivate me to become a part of the
team. Cain & Company has a clear, strong focus on the private equity segment with leading capabilities
within due diligence services. Further, Cain & Company is a truly global firm, which offers a great
opportunity to work in an international environment. I find these qualities highly motivating and
appealing.
STEP 5:
Write Your Cover
Letter
25
In addition to my academic and professional accomplishments, my personal skills would make me an

asset to Cain & Company. In my job at Anders Shipping, I learned to work with others to creatively solve
problems, and I developed my leadership skills as a manager. As an MBA student, I have further
strengthened my analytical skills and theoretical knowledge. I believe that all of these capabilities would
serve me well as a Consultant.
I am enclosing my resume for your review, and I look forward to hearing from you. If I may provide
further information for you, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Eric Williams
STEP 6:
Proofread
and deliver
30
3
Appendix
35
Introduction
Introduction
Getting into management consulting is
extremely competitive. You need to have
excellent qualifications, but this is far from
enough. These great credentials need to be
presented in a professional cover letter and
resume in order for you to make it to the
interview rounds. The top three consulting
firms receive more than 150,000 applications a year. Typically, the first screening of
an application does not take more than 45
seconds to complete. It is therefore vitally
important that your application is focused
and structured. Our aim with this guide is to
provide you with the necessary tools to make
a professional cover letter and resume that
will allow you to compete for a spot in the
interview rounds. We will ensure that you
do not commit the classic mistakes, which
will get you discarded in an instant. What you
Consultingfact.com aspires to be
the number one online resource for
management consulting application and
interview preparation. We develop tools
and products that will help you land your
dream job in management consulting.
Consultingfact.com was founded in
Copenhagen, Denmark by a former
management consultant from McKinsey
read in this guide is based on our experience
of receiving offers from management consulting firms and recruiting from two of the top
three firms in the world.
Before we get to the business of creating great resumes and cover letters, we just
want to congratulate you with your choice of

career. A career at a management consulting
firm is definitely recommendable. We know
from experience that working in management
consulting firms will provide you with variety
of challenging assignments that are bound
to develop your skill set both on a personal
and professional level.
As a new consultant, you can expect to

work within all of these practice areas and
across numerous industries. Your learning
curve will be steep. Not everybody will make
it to the partner level, but a few years with
a consulting firm is an excellent investment
regardless of where you end up. We can definitely recommend it.
The goal of management consulting is

to offer advisory services to corporations,
private equity houses, government agencies
and NGOs. These organizations often face
questions that they are unable to answer due
to lack of resources, lack of competence, or
simply because they need an external perspective. The top tier management consulting
firms like McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company typically
work within several practice areas including:
Recruiting Process
Practice Areas:

Introduction
Change management
Corporate renewal
Corporate strategy
Cost & supply chain management
Customer strategy and marketing
Growth strategy
Information technology
Mergers and acquisitions
Organization
Performance improvement
Private equity
The application process at each of the top

tier management consulting firms is very similar. There are three main components: the
application itself, possibly a written test, and
case interviews. A candidate needs to master
all three components to receive the offer.
Pre-interview
Cover letter
Resume
Written test
Combined verbal and written test
Case interviews
Market estimations
Business cases
Brain teasers
Pre-Interview
Less than 10% of applicants make it
through to the interview rounds. Some applicants are simply discarded based on their
qualifications, while others are sorted out due
to substandard cover letters and resumes.
This guide focuses solely on the pre-interview
phase.
Case Interviews
The case interview is a classic in management consulting. The purpose is to test the
candidates ability to perform problem-solving and effectively communicate and present
findings. Problem solving skills include business judgment, quantitative skills, creativity,
logical reasoning, and the ability to structure
an analysis. These are all skills that are highly
useful as a management consultant. In real
life consulting, the client often puts you on
the spot by asking a question that requires
problem-solving skills. The case interview
form is a great way to test how a person performs under pressure, i.e. if he/she easily
gets frustrated when challenged. Management consulting firms are very diligent in
their recruiting, so expect two to three interview rounds equivalent to five or six separate
interviews.
Written Test
Most management consulting firms
also test their applicants via a written test.
The written test usually consists of various
numerical and verbal multiple-choice ques-
Introduction
tions. These are often very similar to what

you would see in a GMAT. Be aware that most
firms do not allow you to use any electronic
devices (e.g. calculators or computers) when
performing calculations.
Management Consulting
Success Factors
Knowing what management consulting
firms look for is a prerequisite for writing
great resumes and cover letters. A great place
to start is always at the consulting firms website. For example, McKinsey looks for skills
in problem solving, achievement, personal
impact and leadership whereas Bain judge
their candidates on criteria such as the ability to add value along with client skills and
team skills.
We believe that there are key skills and
personal characteristics that all management
consulting firms look for regardless of how
they communicate their requirements.
Introduction
The Six Success Factors in Management Consulting

Structured thinking
The ability to think in a clear and organized way. This is useful for problem solving
and analysis. Math skills also fall in this category and are often used to exemplify
structured thinking skills.
Business judgment
Have a good judgment of business and strategic issues. This is important for case
solving a key management consulting discipline. A good way of practicing this is
by reading business media and trying to understand the underlying issues behind
different news stories and their respective strategic choices.
Communication:
Both written and oral communication skills are important in management consulting. In this pre-interview phase you should focus on your written communication
skills. Be clear and to the point in your written and oral messages.
Personal impact:
Personal impact is hard to define, but think about it sometimes you are around
people who are good at influencing others. As management consulting firms look
for future leaders, they will look for that leadership talent in you.
Team skills:
Cooperation with other people is essential as a management consultant, you work
in project teams and are surrounded by both clients and coworkers. These must
be demonstrated while you are presenting during an interview, whether they are
explained or shown through actions.
Drive and motivation:
Know what you like and go for it. People should have a feel that you are motivated for a career filled with challenging assignments and long hours, and that you
can maintain drive even when the things get tough.
Your cover letter and resume need to display that you perform well on these key success factors for management consulting. All
of your previous experience and personality
features must relate to these factors.
Six Steps to a Successful

Application
This guide will show you six different steps
to write a successful cover letter and resume.
The first step is to identify what you can
offer to management consulting firms based
on the previous mentioned six key success
factors. After having analyzed your background, you are now ready to start work on
your resume. Step two covers structuring the
resume, i.e. the design and layout structure
whereas step three includes the actual writing
of the resume.
Step 4 and 5 show you how to structure
and write the cover letter. When you reach
step 6 you should have a finished application
ready for proofreading and delivering.
Introduction
STEP 1:
Identify Your
Relevant Skills
This step will show you...
how to identify relevant professional experience, academic achievements,
skills and personal interests for your resume and cover letter
Identify Your Relevant Skills
STEP 1:
Identify Your
Relevant Skills
10
Before for you start any writing, the first

thing you need to do is to analyze your own
profile in order to determine what your key
selling points are for a job as a management
consultant.
achievement you list must relate to at least

one of six management consulting key success factors: structured thinking, business
judgment, communication, personal impact,
team skills or drive and motivation.
Start by making a long list of your significant achievements, experiences, skills

and interests in a professional, academic or
personal setting. Armed with your long list,
it is now time to prioritize it. Keep in mind
that the achievements need to be relevant
to management consulting, thus each of the
To help you decide which of your achievements and experiences are relevant for a job
in management consulting, you can use the
below framework. Plot in your achievements
in the first column and tick off which of the six
success factors it relates to. Note that an item
can easily cover more than one success factor.
Structured
thinking
Business
Judgment
Communication
Personal
impact
Team
skills
Drive and
motivation
Professional experience / achievements:

Internship at an
investment bank
General manager at a
shipping company
Education / Academic achievements:

Achieved a top 10%
grade in finance
Founded a student
organization
Skills:
Fluent in Spanish
Experienced Microsoft
Excel user
Experienced Microsoft
PowerPoint user
X
X
X
Personal interests:
Coached a soccer team
Ran a marathon
11
The above framework is filled with examples to guide you. See the appendix of this
guide for an empty version of the above table, which you can use for your own analysis.
Experienced
vs.
Recent graduate
Management consulting firms are aware that most recent graduates do not have
substantial professional experience, but keep in mind that you still need to show that
you fulfill all six success factors.
In the management consulting world, professional experience is extremely important, a
commodity that is never overlooked and can
usually be one of the deciding factors when
hiring someone for a new position. If you
have had a limited amount of professional
experience (still a student or recently graduated), then include all jobs you have had as an
adultwhether it is being a teaching assistant
at university or working part-time as an office
clerk. The key is to show drive and motivation
in any sort of professional capacity, and if that
does not include the field you are applying for,
you must prove that what you have is relevant
as well. There is another side to the coin,
however. You should not have a multitude of
irrelevant jobs that you have only listed to fill
spacebe conscious of what will make you
seem like the best candidate for the job.
Consider the ways your professional experience can apply to the six management consulting success factors. Structured thinking
is one of the most important things that link
12
your professional experience with a potential

jobyou want the recruiter to see that you
have the potential to think in a way that is
beneficial to management consulting. Business sense goes hand in hand with your professional experience, you want to show that
you have the business sense to last and be
successful in management consulting.
Communication of your experience is
key, so remember to explain everything you
have done so that everything is clear to the
recruiter. When telling about your previous
work experience, consider how each job
affected you personally and utilize those emotions or thoughts in constructing the way you
detail each previous experience. Also keep
in mind the times you worked with a team,
whether on a specific project or if your whole
job was as part of a team, because it is always
useful to have someone who works well on
a team. The quality and sometimes quantity
of your professional experience can reveal
the type of drive and motivation you have to
succeedalways show that you put yourself

wholeheartedly into all of your previous work
experience.
or graduating from a top-notch university are

perfect indicators of an applicant with great
drive and motivation.
Education
Skills
This section is obviously most important

when you are applying for jobs as a recent
graduate; the prestige of your school as well
as your GPA and extracurricular activities will
be your key selling points. When possible,
be sure to include anything special about
courses you have taken, i.e. if you studied
abroad or organizations you were involved
in related to academics. Relevant experience
such as helping professors in consulting projects, co-writing papers, etc., is always useful
to include. This section will require the most
detail and emphasis for recent graduates.
They will need to prove themselves to management consulting recruiters without having
much professional experience.
This section is obviously going to be different from person to person, and you should
always try to be somewhat introspective and
ask yourself, What other relevant skills do I
possess that are NOT included in professional
experience or formal education? Examples
could be language/cultural knowledge, special software knowledge (such as Bloomberg,
etc.), or applied skills (such as advanced financial modelling). Skills can be applicable all
over the board, depending on each different
capability.
Again, communication is important in

explaining your school, the activities you participated in, and any awards you won while
at university. The experiences you had as a
student are likely to have affected you in many
ways, so you want to be sure to show that
your university experience shaped you and
taught you many skills that would make you
an excellent management consultant. Examples of leadership in campus organizations are
a great way to show that you have solid team
skills and can apply them to a management
consulting position. Having a high GPA and/
13
Skills like the learning of a new language

or computer programming are very useful in
communication, as it gives you an advantage
in those areas that other applicants do not
have. Skills like these can also have a profound personal impact, because they often
take hard work to develop and you can learn
many things along the way that should be
communicated in your resume or cover letter.
Using examples of team skills learned can be
very important to a management consulting
recruiter, as long as you make them applicable
to the position to which you are applying. A
great example is having built team via voluntary work outside of the school system.
Interests
Once you have portioned out the majority
of yourself within the categories of professional experience, education, and key skills,
it is time to include everything else that does
not fit into those categories. This especially
helps you stand out from other candidates
in the recruiters mindsit gives your profile
some specific qualities that set you apart.
You should be sure to include membership
in any organizations (anything from professional to social) as well as any responsibilities
or leadership roles you have taken within the
organization. Otherwise, any extracurricular
hobbies or interests relevant to the position
you are applying for are also important to
United States
include. These can especially stand out in the

mind of the recruiter if they are voluntary
and positive in the community. This can be
anything from monthly soup kitchen working
to coaching a youth football team.
Applying your own personality to management consulting can be somewhat difficult,
but it is your responsibility to find ways to
shape your own interests in a way that boosts
your management consulting resume and
cover letter. Interests that help you build your
skills and improve yourself are very useful
in showing your structured thinking skills as
well as your forward thinking in regards to
business.
vs.
Europe
Continental European applicants are allowed to put more emphasis on their personal
hobbies. This can be anything from hiking to motorcycles and will help you differentiate yourself from the candidates.
Refer back to the framework and see how

examples of each category can fit into the six
success factors of management consulting.
Now you can easily see how any and all of
14
your experiences, skills, and interests can be

useful in your application for a management
consulting position.
Resume
Summary
Education
Skills
Personal Interests
STEP 2:
Structure
Your Resume
how to structure, format and design a resume aimed at the management
consulting industry.
Structure Your Resume
STEP 2:
Structure Your
Resume
Successful resumes for management consulting positions need to be well-planned and
thought out. You cannot just take a standard
resume you have used in the past and email
it. Instead, you need to look at each aspect
of your professional career as well as your
personal interests and skills. Next, place them
in an ordered, clear, and informative manner
that will put a positive light on you within the
context of management consulting. This section will help you structure and design your
resume clearly and concisely.
United States
vs.
Europe
In North America, the term resume

is often used, while Europeans use
the term curriculum vitae.
16
The recruiters will likely look at your

resume for no more than 45 seconds. Therefore, your resume must stand out. Management consulting firms look for the most qualified and talented employees possible, so
building a resume is about marketing yourself
to your potential employer. You should by
now have identified your relevant skills. The
link between those skills and the way you
present them is the main deciding factor in
whether or not you progress to the interview
stage.
A good resume lists the usual qualifications for a management consulting job, but
a great resume should also stand out to a
recruiter by illustrating the applicants unique
personality and above-and-beyond credentials.
Structure
Length
The resume should be structured concisely and direct, written solely in a professional manner that gives your potential
employers proper knowledge of your relevant
qualifications. Remember that resumes are
not one-size-fits-all. Each time you submit a
resume it should be tailored towards the job
you are applying for.
The ideal resume fits as much information

as possible on a single page, and it should
only go over this if necessary. If you find it
necessary to move onto a second page, there
should at least be a half page of content if not
the entire page. Recently graduated applicants without significant professional experience should keep the resume on one page.
United States
vs.
Europe
In the US, the purpose of your resume is to sell your results while the purpose in
Europe is to sell yourself. In the US, experienced applicants should give a brief account
of each position theyve held and any other qualifications. In Europe, however, it is
normal to summarize all of your professional experience as well as your education.
Because the European recruiters ask for more content, it is normal for a resume to be
about two pages as opposed to the conciseness of American resumes, which should
be about one page. European management consulting firms want to know more
about you than American firms. Personal information (age, marital status, and race)
and a photograph are encouraged in some places such as Germany. American firms,
however, do not need or want to know much about who you are, they just want to
know what you have done and what you can do for their firm in the future.
17
Best Practice Structure for a Resume

The illustration below shows the best practice for a resume. Find the descriptions of the
different paragraph following the illustration.
Resume
Summary
Education
Skills
Personal Interests
18
Header
Information such as your name, address,
phone number and e-mail address should
always be at the very top of your resume in
the header section, and they should always
be up to date. It is very common to forget to
update your contact information when you
move, switch phone numbers, etc., and you
should always check it over before submitting
a resume.
Summary
Be sure to summarize yourself and your
ambitions in the management consulting
industry, and specifically the position to which
you are applying. After reading this section,
the recruiter should have no doubts about
your abilities or what your career goal is. Keep
the summary short it should be about 2-3
lines only.
Be sure to emphasize any and every position that might be relevant to the job you are
applying. If it is an entry-level opening, it is
appropriate to include university work experience, volunteer work, and extracurricular
activities. When listing relevant experiences,
be sure to place them in reverse chronological
order so that the most recent experience is
listed first. Also do not forget to include the
duration of each period of employment, listing the start date as well as end date (Include
month and year). Next, be sure to quantify
your results if possible, for management con-
19
sultants are very fact-driven and potential

employers are more able to understand you
if they see numbers that prove how well you
have done.
Education
When listing subjects that you have studied, be sure to include what skills you developed in each class or project you worked on.
It is very important that those reading your
resume know that you are qualified for the
position by listing relevant academic achievements and acquired skills. If you have received
some substantial/important scholarships, you
can include a paragraph with those as well.
Skills
As with all other types of content, think
critically on what skills you have that are relevant. Languages, computer skills, and appropriate licensing should all be considered when
shaping ones resume. What is especially
important is whether or not a certain skill
makes you stand out from other potential
applicants. Other things being equal, an applicant fluent in Spanish and French in addition
to English will have a leg up on the competition compared to one who only speaks English.
Personal Interests
This is definitely a time when carefully
and critically looking at your content is very
important. Not all personal interests are applicable in the context of the job you are seeking, but some can be invaluable. For example,
the motivation and drive it takes to run a

marathon are much more impressive and
relevant to management consulting than winning a fantasy football league. Be very aware
of what the recruiters are looking for, and list
relevant interests that are likely to impress
them and make you seem like a capable and
superb candidate for the position. Volunteer
work in the community is also quite valuable,
because showing your values and work ethic
outside of the office can help you stand out
as a management consulting prospect.
Design
Between the amount of resumes that
management consulting firms receive and
the amount of time allowed to screen each
resume, it is easy to see how it is very important for your resume to stand out. Even
though the screening process within each
management consulting firm is very professional and content-based, it still requires you
to focus on design of your resume. Not only
can the wrong layout give an underwhelming
impression to those reading your resume, but
an unappealing layout can just as easily send
your resume into the trash.
20
Write your resume and cover letter

in the same document and reuse the
header and font types in both this
ensures a consistent and professional
design. See examples of cover letter and
resume sets in the appendix.
No single layout guarantees success, and

we suggest that you get inspired by one of our
design templates in the Appendix. Below are
some important guidelines that you should
always keep in mind when designing your
resume:
D
o not exaggerate your design
Remember that the management consulting industry is rather conservative,
therefore resumes hoping to shine in
that field should be clear and simple
to follow
Maintain formatting consistency (if
you use something like italics, capital letters, bullet points, bold font, or
underlining, be sure to use each in the
same context throughout the resume)
Do not exaggerate with font size or
use non-traditional fonts. We suggest
that you use one of the fonts below:
Calibri
Tahoma
Times New Roman
Make sure there is space on your

resume both in the margins and
between sections
Do not use colors
ERIC WILLIAMS
RESUME
SUMMARY:

08/2009

07/2004 07/2007

10 million USD
07/2003-08/2003

bank
EDUCATION:
09/2007 06/2009

GPA: 3.6 (top 20%)
09/2001 - 06/2004

GPA: 3.9 (top 5%)
08/1997-06/2001

SKILLS:
STEP 3:
Write
Your Resume

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

best practice on language in the resume
Write Your Resume
STEP 3:
Write Your
Resume
You should now have structured the
resume and be aware of the formatting
requirements. The last part is to compile the
content and write your resume.
Do not use technical language

Be sure that you use language applicable
to various types of business backgrounds. If
your background is non-business (such as
engineering), use language that non-engineers can understand when you refer to
a position you have held or a project you
worked on.
Organize in categories
It is very important that you put each item
in its proper category. For example, even if
you ran a marathon with some buddies from
work, it still counts as a personal interest or
accomplishment, not professional experience.
Management consulting recruiters are look-
22
ing for someone who is well-rounded. Your

resume should include multiple items within
each category. While professional experience
is obviously the most important part of your
resume, do not neglect the other sections.
Simplify titles etc.

It may seem impressive to say you held
the position of Director of Creative Operations, but will the recruiter reading your
resume understand what this means? Most
likely, those reading your resume outside
the context of your former employers will
not. When in doubt, simplify the terminology you use.
Do not lie or exaggerate the facts in
your resume. The recruiter might check
your references or research about you
on the internet.
Be specific
Use the right form of tense
Along the same lines of simplification, it is

important to be specific on what your former
jobs and positions entailed. Use examples of
tasks you completed on a daily basis as well
as over the long-term. Explain the types of
skills needed to have that job as well as how
you have improved those skills or learned
new ones.
Be sure that you stay consistent with your

tenses throughout the resume. Past positions
should be described in the past tense, but
currently held positions should be described
in the present tense.
Use action verbs

Use the elements in your resume to construct statements about yourself. Do not just
list the accomplishments. Take each job, project, or skill and make each of them into an
active statement about yourself that shows
that you get things done, that you are a hard
worker and will be a positive asset to any
management consulting firm.
The identification of your relevant skills in
Step 1 is useful when it comes to choosing the
action verbs. Use the table of action verbs in
the Appendix and pick the right ones that will
sell your experience in terms of the requirements from management consulting firms.
Write in first person

Always write your resume in the first
person, because this is your own description
and account of your history, not someone
elses. Think of your resume as a direct message from you to your future employer. The
message should tell them about you and why
you deserve this position.
23
Write Your Resume
Remember your audience

This is one of the most important things
to remember when writing your resume,
because you want to seem qualified and
useful to the management consulting industry. Go back to the six management consulting
success factors each time you place something in your resume, and only include it if it
fits into one of these. You must keep a balance
among the success factors as well, so keep
track of how many factors each item fits in so
you do not overfill any single factor.
Management consulting firms want to
see someone well-rounded in terms of the
industry, so keep that in mind when tallying
up how each item fits in within the key success factors.
Full address
of the firm
Title
Date
Opening
Motivation
Personal Skills
Closing
Signature
STEP 4:
Structure Your
Cover Letter
the importance of researching the firm you are applying to
the structure of the cover letter and what to include in each paragraph
how to format the cover letter
Structure Your Cover Letter
STEP 4:
Structure Your
Cover Letter
Most people find it hard to write a cover
letter due to its rather subjective nature.
Cover letters are very important in your application to a management consulting firm, so
there is no way around it. A great consulting cover letter leaves the recruiter with the
impression that the candidate is extraordinary
and has the necessary skills to perform well
as a management consultant. These include
a candidates written communication skills,
which among other things show how diligent
a candidate is in grammar, spelling, etc. Further, a great cover letter also demonstrates
25
Before you start writing the cover letter,

you should read this chapter. It is important to know the proper structure and
format the document correctly before
you start to write. This order will save
you a lot of time, as you will know
exactly what content you need once
you reach step 5.
that the applicant has done the homework
and performed the mandatory research on
the specific firm and the industry.
Best Practice Structure for a Cover Letter

The illustration below shows the best practice for a cover letter. This structure includes
a heading and five paragraphs. Find the descriptions of the different paragraph following
the illustration.
Full address
of the firm
Title
Date
Opening
Motivation
Personal Skills
Closing
Signature
26
Use your judgment to determine the

weights of the different paragraphs. If you
are an MBA student, you should probably
emphasize the paragraph with professional
experience.
Header
The header in the cover letter consists of
these three parts.
Contact details: should be included in
your cover letter and placed on top of
the page. Contact details of the firm you
are applying to should always be placed
directly above the main text body.
Date and place: include date and place
in the upper right corner of the document
Subject line: Just above the main text
body, a single subject line should be
added in bold stating the subject of your
cover letter e.g. Application for a Junior
Associate position or similar.
Paragraph 1: The Opening

The opening paragraph is probably the
most important part of the cover letter. You
should introduce yourself as an excellent candidate for the job. Do this by briefly stating
your top two qualities in regards to a job as a
management consultant.
The opening paragraph also gives you
a chance to reference a consultant you
might know. If you choose to do so, integrate it well in the text.
27
Questions to answer:
Where did you learn about the position? (brief answer)
Why are you an excellent candidate
for the position? (brief answer)
Paragraph 2: Professional Experience and Education

This is where your key selling points come
into play as answers to the questions below.
Questions to answer:
What are you currently studying (or
what have you studied)?
Why are your studies relevant for a job
as a management consultant?
How have you demonstrated strong
academic performance?
What relevant non-academic or professional experience do you have? This can
include professional experience and
extracurricular activities
This paragraph gives you a chance to present your line of study, and explain why it
is relevant for a position as a management
consultant. Most fields of study are relevant
to management consulting in one way or
another, so this should not be a problem.
Strong academic performance is one of
the main success factors that consulting firm
rate applicants on. If you have a high GPA,
this is the paragraph to show it off. If you do

not have a high GPA, you need to sell yourself differently. You can state the awards you
received or some volunteer work you have
done in college/university.
This paragraph also allows you to explain
your relevant professional experience such as
internships, part-time or full-time job positions. If your work experience is limited then
use this section to highlight extracurricular
activities. Preferably, you should mention
activities that show your fulfillment of the six
key success factors in management consulting (see Step 1 in this guide).
Paragraph 3: Motivation
You should make it very clear that you are
motivated to apply for this position. Thus, this
paragraph should answer these two questions:
Why do you want to work in the management consulting industry?
Why do you want to work for this specific firm?
diverse backgrounds
Work internationally
This is the paragraph where you include
the results of your research on the firm.
Describe one or two firm-specific characteristics that you find appealing.
Paragraph 4: Personal skills

The recruiter also needs to have an understanding of your personal skills, besides all
the professional and academic ones. Use the
identification of your relevant skills from Step
1 in this guide and answer this question:
Which skills do you posses which make
you suited as a management consultant?
Mention the personal skills such as team
skills, leadership abilities etc. Use the six management consulting success factors as inspiration. A good idea is to mention a setting
where you have applied/developed the skills
e.g. group work in school, voluntary work or
similar.
Paragraph 5: Closing
Use this paragraph to emphasize why
you are interested in working in the industry.
Below are some well-proven examples:
Develop professionally and personally
through a steep learning curve
Solve problems for a wide array of industries and functional areas
Combine strategic and financial analysis
and apply them in real cases
Work with competent colleagues with
28
The last paragraph should be short and

answer this one question:
What other relevant information is
attached, and what else can you provide by request?
In the closing paragraph, you should state
that if other information is needed they are
welcome to contact you.
Example of a closing:
I have enclosed my resume, diplomas and grade transcript for your review and look
forward to hearing from you. If you need any references from my latest position,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Format the Cover Letter

The final task before you start writing is
to format the document and know the design
requirements. One key point to remember is
that management consulting is a relatively
conservative industry. Hence, do not experiment with colors or creative designs. See
the cover letter samples in the appendix for
inspiration.
Keep the cover letter to exactly one full

page neither more nor less.
Font size and font type are important

and we suggest that you stay to commonly
accepted ones. We suggest that you use one
of the fonts below:
Calibri
29
Tahoma
Times New Roman
You have the option of using two different

font types e.g. one for header and one for the
text. Never use more than two font types, and
we recommend that you use the same font
in the cover letter as in the resume. The font
size should be in the range of 10-12 so it is
easy to read. Do not use colors.
You can use the same header as in the
resume.
Make sure that you do not use single line

spacing, as this makes the text harder to read.
Use a line spacing of about 1.15.
ERIC WILLIAMS
March 1, 2010
appealing.
Sincerely,
STEP 5:
Write
Your Resume
Eric Williams

best practice on language in the cover letter
Write Your Cover Letter
STEP 5:
Write the Cover
Letter
It is time to write the cover letter now,
once you have considered the structure, contents and the formatting.
As mentioned before, communication is
one of the six management consulting success
factors. This includes written communication.
You should therefore use a clear, concise, and
professional language. Your cover letter needs
to inspire confidence with a business-like
tone. At the same time you should also avoid
using old fashioned and over-polite language.
Below are tips for writing your cover letter.
Be concise but thorough

You can expect that the reader of your
31
cover letter is pressed for time, so you should

aim to write it concisely, and at the same time
be thorough. This requires you to be very precise in your wording. I.e., do not include extra
words and unnecessary details and leave out
lengthy explanations. Use short and simple
words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Do not use technical language

Management consultants have various
backgrounds, but you must always assume
that they are experts in business issues.
Remember this when you write your cover
letter. If you have a non-business background,
be careful with the words you choose to
describe your background. If you are an engi-
neer, you need to explain any technical terms

in simple language.
Try to avoid passive voice

By using an active voice, you indicate a
motion or action. Using active voice makes
your writing more interesting and dynamic.
Passive voice describes a state of existence,
and displays no vigor so you should avoid
it. Passive verbs include be, is, was, were, are,
seem, has, and been. To see the difference
between passive and active voice see the
below example:
Active sentence: My university named
me Student of the Year.
Passive sentence: I was named Student
of the Year by my university.
32
Write Your Cover Letter
Use of past and present tense

For the most part, you should use present tense as you are writing your cover letter
now. When referring to your achievements
switch to past tense. If your resume says
you are currently employed, you should use
present tense if you refer to your current job
in your cover letter.
Be selective in your choice of

active verbs
In step 1 you identified your relevant
skills. When describing them in your cover
letter you should be selective in your choice
of active verbs. To ensure convergence
between the six management consulting
key success factors, use active verbs that
match the factor you are targeting. See the
Appendix for a list of active verbs.
STEP 6:
Proofread and
Deliver
the importance of proofreading
how to deliver the application
Proofread and deliver
STEP 6:
Proofread and
Deliver
Once you are finished with writing of your
resume and cover letter, you must thoroughly
check for spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors.
Resume Proofreading
Look over the facts and make sure all information is correct, just in case your employer
goes fact-checking with one of your references. Be sure you have the proper dates
listed for your former jobs, as well as your
position titles and the type of work you did.
In this regard, proofreading is not just about
errors in your typing; it gives you another
chance to be sure you are writing your resume
in an effective, honest manner.
34
Take a long break before proofreading.

You should preferably do it another day
to have a fresh mindset and you will
probably see mistakes that you did not
see before.
Cover Letter Proofreading

Check all the facts on your cover letter.
Besides the language, double check all firm
names, addresses and names. Cover letter
mistake number one is to include the wrong
firm name that is an automatic trip to the
trash bin.
Have at least one other person check
your cover letter and resume for spelling and grammar errors.
Delivery
When you feel confident that your cover
letter and resume are both ready, there is still
some work to do. Different consulting firms
have different ways of accepting applications.
The same firm usually also has varying policies
in from country to country so make sure to
check this. The two most common ways of
delivery are either through email or through
an online application form.
You should save your application in a PDF

file. The great advantage of PDF files is that
they keep the exact formatting regardless of
which operating system or application saves
or opens the file. It does not even matter
whether it is a PC or a Mac. Never send your
application in original Word files. Sometimes
they include different revisions of your document, and this might cause problems. The
easiest way to save your application as a PDF
file is to use PDF printer software. Search
on this term on Google and you should find
plenty for free.
Email delivery
There are a couple of things you need to
be aware of when sending your application
via email.
35
Proofread and deliver
You need to make sure that the PDF files

you send are not too large (more than 5 MB).
Some email servers will simply not allow the
consulting firm to receive large files and you
risk the firm not receiving your application.
The content of the email itself should be
rather neutral do not try to grab the attention of the recruiter by using creative subject
lines. A couple of ideas for them are:
Mark Beck, Management Consulting
Intern
Sarah Nielsen, Experienced Hire Application
The body text of the email should be very
short, and should basically state the position
you are applying to, a list of the attached files,
and your contact details. Remember that
email body text is not an application.
Appendix
Contents of the Appendix
Empty table for skill identification
List of action verbs
Three examples of cover letters and resumes
Appendix
Identify Your Skills Empty Table

Structured
thinking
Business
Judgment
Professional experience / achievements:
Education / Academic achievements:
Skills:
Personal interests:
37
Communication
Personal
impact
Team
skills
Drive and
motivation
Appendix
The action verbs below are the most commonly used. Use them in both the cover letter and resume.
Structured thinking
Analyzed
Appraised
Assessed
Broke down
Calculated
Categorized
Evaluated
Examined
Experimented
Innovated
Inspected
Investigated
Quantified
Researched
Reviewed
Surveyed
Systemized
Personal impact
Coached
Conducted
Enabled
Facilitated
Founded
Governed
Guided
Headed
Instructed
Led
Motivated
Piloted
Prescribed
Recommended
Taught
Unified
United
38
Business sense
Built
Completed
Doubled/tripled
Enhanced
Grew
Made
Maximized
Minimized
Outpaced
Produced
Rebuilt
Reduced
Sold
Solved
Started up
Transformed
Turned around
Team skills
Assisted
Backed
Brokered
Collaborated
Contributed
Cooperated
Coordinated
Created synergies
Helped
Participated
Partnered with
Reinvigorated
Shared
Solidified
Strategized
Supported
United
Communication
Authored
Composed
Consulted
Conveyed
Corresponded
Drafted
Edited
Explained
Finessed
Interpreted
Justified
Mediated
Negotiated
Presented
Reported
Simplified
Translated
Drive and motivation

Achieved
Conceived
Created
Cultivated
Designed
Determined
Developed
Devised
Established
Expanded
Garnered
Generated
Implemented
Initiated
Instituted
Launched
Originated
Appendix
Case 1: Graduate Position - Cover Letter

th
Alexander J. Powers
2837 50 Street | Atlanta | Georgia 30330 |Phone: (123) 555-0050 | E-mail: apowers@email.com
McConsult & Company, Inc.

45 Business street
Atlanta, Georgia, 30305
August 1, 2010
Atlanta, Georgia
Application for Business Analyst Position at McConsult & Company

After attending a workshop with McConsult & Company employees in Atlanta January 25, I was
convinced that working for McConsult & Company would be the right thing for me. Because of my
established leadership experience and my analytical and problem solving abilities, I believe that I am an
excellent fit for McConsult & Company.
I recently graduated from the University of Atlanta with a bachelors degree in economics. As you may
know, acceptance into the University of Atlantas School of Business is very competitive, and the school
is consistently on the Princetons Top 10 U.S. Business Colleges. The economics degree program at UA
allowed me the flexibility of choosing a minor in consulting. My GPA in this rigorous program was 3.80,
including a 4.0 in the consulting minor coursework. While studying at UA, I found that, while there were
organizations for business students in other areas, no society for undergraduate economics students
existed. I founded, and subsequently became the first President of the UA Economics Society. In addition
to these learning and leadership opportunities, I did an internship at JP Sachs Investment Bank in New
York. At JP Sachs, I further developed and applied my analytical capabilities in the area of corporate
finance with special emphasis on valuation techniques.
Working in the management consulting area has become my primary professional goal. Of all of the
areas I could pursue with my degree and experience, this area provides the best fit and the most
challenge. My impression of McConsult & Companys culture is a winning one where enthusiastic people
desire continuous personal challenges and development, with teamwork being of utmost priority. Such
culture intrigues and motivates me. Also, McConsult & Companys leading position in the market, makes
it an obvious organization to pursue a career.
Management consulting is a field in which I can put the person abilities I have developed into practice.
These include leadership, analytical skills, communication skills, and creativity. As president of the UA
Economics Society, I developed the ability to listen carefully to opposing sides, the ability to gain
information from many sources and synthesize it, and the ability to work with a variety of people. These
skills would serve me well in the position of Business Analyst.
I have enclosed my resume and academic transcript for your review, and I look forward to hearing from
you. If you need any further information, including references, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Alexander Powers
39
Appendix
Case 1: Graduate Position - Resume
th
Alexander J. Powers
2837 50 Street | Atlanta | Georgia 30330 |Phone: (123) 555-0050 | E-mail: apowers@email.com
RESUME
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Jun 2009 Aug 2010 Summer Intern
JP Sachs Investment Bank, New York, NY
Valued and analyzed utility and toll road companies as a member of the
transaction team in a top tier investment banks private equity unit.
Sep 2008 Jun 2010
Teaching Assistant, University of Atlanta (UA), Atlanta, GA

Taught microeconomics for freshmen students at my university. Tasks included
creating PowerPoint teaching slides.
EDUCATION
Sep 2007 Jun 2010
Bachelor of Science in Economics, University of Atlanta (UA), Atlanta, GA

GPA: 3.9 (top 5%)
Participated in UA Mentorship program as a senior to mentor a freshman
business student for a semester.
Founded UA Economics Society, a student organization for all economics
students a UA. President of the organization in its first year.
Aug 2004 Jun 2007

SKILLS
High School Diploma, Allen High School, Port Thomas, GA

GPA: 3.8
Language:
Fluent in French and English
Computer Skills:
Expert:
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
Working knowledge:
Bloomberg
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Personal development, great food and sports
40
Appendix
Case 2: Experienced Hire - Cover Letter

ERIC WILLIAMS
March 1, 2010
appealing.
Sincerely,
Eric Williams
41
Appendix
Case 2: Experienced Hire - Resume

ERIC WILLIAMS
RESUME
SUMMARY:

08/2009

07/2004 07/2007

10 million USD
07/2003-08/2003

bank
EDUCATION:
09/2007 06/2009

GPA: 3.6 (top 20%)
09/2001 - 06/2004

GPA: 3.9 (top 5%)
08/1997-06/2001

SKILLS:
PERSONAL INTERESTS:
42
Appendix
Case 3: Internship - Cover Letter
Whitney Coleman
UPenn Box 283940
Philadelphia, PA 28304
(378) 398-0937
whit.coleman@email.com
January 3, 2010
StarConsulting
290 75th Street
Application for internship at StarConsulting
My considerations for a future career as a management consultant lead me to explore the possibility of an
internship position at StarConsulting. I learned about this position from Senior Associate Lynn Howard. My
strong academic record and leadership skills could contribute great value to StarConsulting.
Through my management consulting classes I have learned a great amount about the theories and work
flows behind management consulting. I have demonstrated high academic performance and my current
GPA is at 3.9/4.0. I have also been a member of the Management Consulting Association (MCA) during my
time here, and I served as president in 2009 where I helped other students make valuable connections with
management consulting professionals as well as provide opportunities for students to find internships.
I find the management consulting industry very interesting as I like to work with competent people with
diverse backgrounds. Also, I like to push the limits and develop myself professionally and personally. An
internship with StarConsulting would be a great start on my career as you have a great reputation on
focusing on developing the interns substantially during the program.
The position as president of MCA developed my leadership skills and taught me how to run projects in
larger teams. The fellow students usually gave me positive feedback about my abilities on motivating them.
I would be a great asset to your organization as an intern and hopefully a full-time management consultant
in the future. Enclosed to this cover letter, you will find my resume and grade transcripts. Please let me
know if you need further information or references for any of my previous positions.
Sincerely,
Whitney Coleman
43
Appendix
Case 3: Internship - Resume
Whitney Coleman
UPenn Box 283940
(378) 398-0937
whit.coleman@email.com
Resume
Summary
I am a Finance Major with strong analytical and leadership skills. My objective is to obtain
an internship and eventually full-time employment with a management consulting firm.
American Management Association

August 2008 present
Served as president in 2009
Helped other students obtain internships
Held connection events between local businesses
and management students
University of Pennsylvania Information Desk Student Worker
August 2008 present
Helped students and guests of the university get discount tickets, find places on
campus, and get connected with staff and faculty
Education
Scholarships
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (graduation: May 2011)

Major: Finance
Major GPA: 3.9/4.0
Minor: Marketing
Financed 100% of education with academic scholarships
National Merit Scholar
Recognized based on PSAT score in the top 1% of nation
Chancellors Scholar University of Pennsylvania
Scholarship paid 100% of tuition based on academic record and SAT scores
Software skills
Language skills
Advanced skills in Excel and PowerPoint, User skills in Microsoft Project

Fluent English and Spanish
Personal interests
Politics, professional kite surfing and adventure travelling
44
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Prepare for a Consulting Career
45
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Contact Information / Header

General management experience from a Fortune 500 shipping company

General Manager, Anders Shipping, Tunis, Tunisia

Sourcing Manager, Anders Shipping, New York, NY

Summer Analyst, Qualitative Investment Bank, New York, NY

Master of Business Administration, Columford University, New York, NY

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Eng., Berkvard College, Boston, MA

High School Diploma, City High School, Boston, MA

Contact Information / Header

Experience and Education

Cars , politics, squash, diving and skiing

In addition to my academic and professional accomplishments, my personal skills would make me an

management consulting cover letters and resumes

management consulting cover letters and resumes

want to congratulate you with your choice of

As a new consultant, you can expect to

The goal of management consulting is

The application process at each of the top

management consulting cover letters and resumes

tions. These are often very similar to what

management consulting cover letters and resumes

The Six Success Factors in Management Consulting

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Six Steps to a Successful

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Identify Your Relevant Skills

Before for you start any writing, the first

achievement you list must relate to at least

Start by making a long list of your significant achievements, experiences, skills

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Identify Your Relevant Skills

Professional experience / achievements:

Education / Academic achievements:

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Identify Your Relevant Skills

your professional experience with a potential

management consulting cover letters and resumes

succeedalways show that you put yourself

or graduating from a top-notch university are

This section is obviously most important

Again, communication is important in

Identify Your Relevant Skills

Skills like the learning of a new language

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Identify Your Relevant Skills

include. These can especially stand out in the

Refer back to the framework and see how

your experiences, skills, and interests can be

Contact Information / Header

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Structure Your Resume

In North America, the term resume

The recruiters will likely look at your

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Structure Your Resume

The ideal resume fits as much information

management consulting cover letters and resumes

Structure Your Resume